Holiday season and Christmas lights can beauty and warmth to any home, but putting them up can get kind of tricky. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 12,500 people get injured every season from accidents related to hanging up holiday decorations and lights.  Christmas lights also cause power issues.  For example, if your lights get hot enough, they can burn or ignite other decorations, the cords can fray and ultimately a short can occur.

When decorating your home or yard with Christmas lights this season be sure to follow these light safety tips.

• First and foremost, be sure to use outdoor vs. indoor lights. The packaging will note whether the lights can be used indoors, outdoors, or both. • Same goes for extension cords; as in, use only outdoor extension cords

• All outdoor lights should be plugged into a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet. These outlets are like the ones in your bathroom with “Test” and “Reset” buttons.

• Stay away from power lines or feeder lines (these go from the pole to the house).

• Do not string lights on trees that contact or are near power lines.

• Secure outside Christmas lights with insulated holders or run strings of lights through hooks. Never use tacks or nails.

• Orient the lights so that the sockets point down and won’t collect water.

• If you need to change bulbs, unplug the lights first.

At Fox Services Express, we want you to have a safe and happy holiday season. Need help lighting your outdoor display? That’s what we’re here for, so contact us at your convenience.

Peoria: 309-692-FOX2 (3692)
Bloomington: 309-451-4FOX (4369)

Click here to ask questions or schedule service now

Leaking plumbing fixtures and pipes can be much more than a nuisance…if not dealt with swiftly and thoroughly, you could be facing major water-related damage.

Leaking taps or mixers and shower heads…what’s so bad about them??  After all, you can see them, hear them and, very often, fix them yourself…before the constant dripping drives you plumb crazy, that is.

But what about those leaks that aren’t so easy to spot?  Water leaks can happen anywhere in your home.

Warning signs to watch or “listen” for…courtesy of your friends at Fox Services Express:

• Do you hear water running when no taps or fixtures are in use?
• Do you have mildew or signs of mould anywhere in your home?
• Is your water bill higher than normal for no reason?
• Is your water meter ticking over when no water is being used inside the house?
• Do you feel warm areas on floors in your home or garage floors?
• Do you have wet spots on walls floors or ceilings?
• Do you have wet spots or areas outside in the lawn for no reason?
• Do you have unusual green patches on your lawn?

Other water leak indicators:

• Refrigerator– If you have a built-in icemaker, you have a built-in potential floor messer!  In fact, the wet spots you see on the floor might indicate a crimped icemaker line and, if it’s crimped, it’s just waiting to burst.  Anytime you move your refrigerator, check for water.   The smaller the water accumulation, the more damaging the problem can be.  That’s because water could be penetrating into your sub-flooring where major structural damage can occur before you even know what’s going on.
• Toilets–  Chlorine tablets can corrode internal components and, before you know it, you’ve got a major hard-to-get-at leak.  What’s more, the water you don’t see is the water that can hurt you.  Once again, small leaks can head straight to your sub-flooring and, over time, rot the wood.
• Hot Water Service– The telltale sign?  Wet spots surrounding the base.  Probable cause?  Internal rust or leaking valves.  So check your HWS often, and make sure it has a floor drain beneath it if it is installed inside your home or at a minimum an automatic shut-off device.

Locating and Repairing the Leak.

Have you recently noticed any signs of water leaks?  Then call Fox Services Express.  Because with our electronic pipe leak equipment, we can pinpoint pipe leaks anywhere…including inside walls, under your floors, and underneath concrete slabs.

Better still, we can do so without ripping up any of these surfaces, and then make the proper repairs while helping you save time, money, and aggravation.

To learn more about our pipe leak detection and repair services, contact Fox today.

Peoria:                        309-692-FOX2 (3692)

Bloomington:             309-451-4FOX (4369)

Click here to ask questions or schedule service now

What’s the first thing many of us do just before, during, or after a major storm that brings with it a power outage?  You got it:  a mad dash to our favorite hardware store or home center to grab a portable home generator while the getting’s good.

Fortunately for most of us, by the time we get there, all the stores are sold out.

“Hang on, did you say ‘fortunately’?”  You bet we did, and for very good reason.  You see, in our haste to get the power, lights, and heat back on, we often don’t pay close enough attention to the safety issues vital to safe home portable generator operation.  And that, in turn, often leads to sickness…and worse.

That’s why Fox Services Express urges you to observe the following safety precautions.

Never use a generator indoors or in an attached garage.

A portable generator is an internal combustion engine that exhausts a deadly gas called carbon monoxide or CO. CO is odorless and colorless, and you can be overcome if the generator is indoors.

Be sure to place the generator outside where exhaust fumes will not enter into enclosed spaces. Only operate a generator outdoors in a well-ventilated, dry area, away from air intakes to the home. The generator should be protected from direct exposure to rain and snow.

Don’t connect your generator directly to your home’s wiring.

Connecting a portable electric generator directly to your household wiring can be deadly. A generator that is directly connected to your home’s wiring can ‘backfeed’ into the power lines connected to your home.

Utility transformers can then increase this lower electrical voltage to thousands of volts. That’s more than enough to kill a utility lineman making outage repairs many miles away. You could also cause expensive damage to utility equipment and your generator.

If you wish to hard-wire a generator to your home, it should be installed by a licensed electrician with an approved cut-off switch that will automatically disconnect the home from the power grid when the generator is being used.

Don’t overload the generator.

All generators have a power rating. The total wattage used by the appliances should be less than the output rating of the generator. If you put too many appliances on the generator, it could seriously damage the appliances and electronics. Overloading the generator could also cause fires in the power cord.

Make sure your generator is properly grounded to avoid electrical shocks.

Check the generator owner’s manual for correct grounding information.

Read and adhere to the manufacturer’s directions for safe operation.

Read the owner’s manual before you operate the generator. If you’ve lost the manual, contact the manufacturer for another copy. You can often download the manual from a manufacturer’s website. Keep the owner’s manual with the generator in a zip-lock bag to keep it dry.

Contact Fox for Additional Safety Tips & Assistance

We’re Peoria’s favorite electrical contractors, and part of the reason is that we’re always ready to lend a helping hand.  So if you’d like to know more about portable generator safety, just give us a call.  And, while you’re at it, ask us about the benefits of a whole-house generator for an even greater supply of power – with no tank to keep refilling with gasoline – when the rest of the world has gone dark.

Peoria:                      309-692-FOX2 (3692)

Bloomington:             309-451-4FOX (4369)

Click here to ask questions or schedule service now

Sleep researchers believe that many cases of insomnia can be traced to hectic, stressful lifestyles. The results of sleep deprivation are varied and may cause battered nerves, grogginess, lapses in memory, depression, and erratic mood swings.

Soaking in a hot tub before going to bed can help relieve stress and promote relaxation, leading to a deep and more peaceful sleep.

According to a study in the scientific journal Sleep, a drop in body temperature can help to ease the body into a relaxing and sound sleep.

So, for best results, try taking a 15-minute soak in a hot bath or hot tub (103F degrees) approximately 90 minutes before bedtime. This will cause your body’s internal thermostat to pull its temperature down, enabling sleep to set in with ease.

Plus, spa induced relaxation and sleep is a natural remedy, unlike alternative sleeping aids such as prescription drugs, over-the-counter remedies and alcohol, which can make a person feel groggy and have other adverse side effects.

The National Sleep Foundation conducted a poll and found that approximately 132 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders including mild to chronic insomnia, pauses in breathing and snoring.

The same poll found that 48 percent of women and 38 percent of men suffer from insomnia more than one night a week. This number is on the rise as evidenced by the growing number of sleep disorder centers across the nation (approximately 3,000 in the U.S. today).

According to a sleep therapy center in Louisville, Ky., insomnia is the second most prevalent reason people go to the doctor (after pain).

Before bed or anytime at all, time spent in your own outdoor hot tub is time spent taking better care of yourself.  For more information on how we can bring the many benefits of hot tub ownership to your home, contact the pros at Fox Services Express today.

Peoria:                      309-692-FOX2 (3692)

Bloomington:             309-451-4FOX (4369)

Click here to ask questions or schedule service now